INTRODUCTION
STUDY GOAL AND OBJECTIVES
BCC's goal and objective in conducting this study is to determine the current
status of the weight loss market, assess its growth potential over the 5-year
period from 2002 to 2007 and evaluate all its segments in terms of marketable
products and services.
REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY
The industry is based on serving the needs of overweight and obese persons.
Experts worldwide recognize obesity as a serious disease, and growing at
epidemic rates. The various segments attempting to deal with this problem change
constantly in terms of their products and services and how they do business. For
them to succeed, it is necessary to understand the dynamics of the needs and to
understand professionals, ordinary citizens and government bodies at a number of
levels. While the United States was the principal target, considerable data
has been developed for countries and regions around the world. Everyone,
everywhere, is concerned about the effects of this disease and how to attack it.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STUDY AND FOR WHOM
This is a study of six distinct industry segments and their prospects for
succeeding by providing efficacious and safe treatment for the various stages of
obesity. This, in turn, provides limitless future opportunities for advancing
the prospects for commercial success, as well as providing the human race with
more and/or better ways to successfully combat overweight and obesity, along
with their dangers and suffering. BCC presents the industry's economic
environment, technological descriptions and issues, applications, market factors
and potential, and project sales of products and services through 2007. This
study will be of interest to the supplement industry, meal replacement industry,
pharmaceutical industry, the weight loss center business leaders, and the food
and beverage industries. This report is of interest to personnel within each
of the industries, on all levels of commercial functions, including
manufacturers, medical and social science service providers, wholesalers and
retailers, and current and future types of organizations. It also should benefit
many areas of government, university and industry sector technologists, as well
as civic-minded and forward-looking individuals and groups of all types.
SCOPE AND FORMAT
This study incorporates the six major industry segments referred to earlier:
supplements, pharmaceuticals, bariatrics, weight loss centers, lower calorie
foods and lower calorie beverages. It analyzes each commercial and technological
element as it relates to current market status and its impact on future markets.
It presents forecasts of growth over the next 5 years. In addition, the dynamics
of patient behavior, along with attitude and motivation, are analyzed as they
relate to obesity and any possible methods that could be successful in treating
it. Each of the industry segments is examined worldwide. To understand
commonalties and variations among various geopolitical, economic and lifestyle
variations, analyses of these parameters in relation to disease vulnerability
are made. All of the analyses are presented in quantitative table and chart
formats. Numerical relationships are related to more qualitative information to
provide both measurable dimensions, as well as, insights into the cause and
effect aspects of behavior, technological, and governmental activity.
METHODOLOGY
Through primary and secondary sources, and creative research, BCC determined
revenues received by businesses and other sources from ultimate consumers. Past,
current and projected revenue amounts are in present dollars at the time the
transactions occurred. This route was taken to measure consumer expenditures
across a number of different sub-industries. BCC believes this is a realistic
way to evaluate consumer choices for many different kinds of goods and services. Exceptions
to this consumer expenditure model applied to two specific industrial market
transaction types. Virtually all fat replacements and approximately half of
artificial sweeteners largely are purchased by food and beverage manufacturers
for use as ingredients in their ultimate end products. In these instances, BCC
developed monetary market size at the wholesale level. These are presented as
separate industrial market parameters for those interested in them.
Conceptually, sales of the final products containing fat and sugar replacements
were measured. There is virtually no duplication of ingredient sales because
industrial sales were not added to consumer revenue totals. | 
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